A Yemenite minister of state has generated a debate in the U.S. State Department after she was asked to be inspected at an airport on a recent trip to the U.S.
Yemen’s Minister for Human Rights, Ummat Al-‘Alim A-Sawsawa, refused to be inspected by airport security in Frankfurt on her way to America, and headed back for Yemen, according to the Middle East News Agency.
A-Sawsawa was traveling to the U.S. at the invitation of Madeleine Albright, chairwoman of the American National Democracy Institute, to participate in a convention on women’s rights.
The U.S. State Department has established a committee to look into the incident.
A-Sawsawa said the employees who asked to inspect her were airport security personnel, acting in keeping with orders applied to all travelers, including American diplomats visiting Arab countries.
A-Sawsawa said she is not the only Arab official subjected to inspection, but she is the only one to broach the issue publicly and officially, adding that a person of her national and personal distinction cannot accept this.
The Yemenite ministerial council has also established a council to look into these incidents, especially since many Yemenite citizens carrying passports of varying nationalities are subject to inspections and violations on their way to the U.S. on grounds of national security, according to the report.
A-Sawsawa urged for the application of common sense in such cases, adding that these measures do nothing to prevent terrorists from carrying out their deeds.
The U.S. has increased airport security measures since the 9/11 attacks, consequently spurring a debate regarding violation of privacy and infringement of human rights.
Due to terror alerts for the upcoming New Year, U.S. government officials are requiring that selected international flights crossing into U.S. airspace carry an armed law-enforcement officer aboard.